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The automatic semantic structuring of scientific text allows for more efficient reading of research articles and is an important indexing step for academic search engines. Sequential sentence classification is an essential structuring task and targets the categorisation of sentences based on their content and context. However, the potential of transfer learning for sentence classification across different scientific domains and text types, such as full papers and abstracts, has not yet been explored in prior work. In this paper, we present a systematic analysis of transfer learning for scientific sequential sentence classification. For this purpose, we derive seven research questions and present several contributions to address them: (1) We suggest a novel uniform deep learning architecture and multi-task learning for cross-domain sequential sentence classification in scientific text. (2) We tailor two transfer learning methods to deal with the given task, namely sequential transfer learning and multi-task learning. (3) We compare the results of the two best models using qualitative examples in a case study. (4) We provide an approach for the semi-automatic identification of semantically related classes across annotation schemes and analyse the results for four annotation schemes. The clusters and underlying semantic vectors are validated using k-means clustering. (5) Our comprehensive experimental results indicate that when using the proposed multi-task learning architecture, models trained on datasets from different scientific domains benefit from one another. Our approach significantly outperforms state of the art on full paper datasets while being on par for datasets consisting of abstracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Diversity in Science towards Social Inclusion--Non-formal Education in Science for Students' Diversity (DiSSI) project aimed to provide a holistic perspective on diversity, focusing specifically on cultural and ethnic identities, language, socioeconomic background, gender, as well as differing levels of achievement. In particular, the work presented in this paper aims to tackle consciously the issues surrounding teaching and learning in socio-economically deprived areas through non-formal education. This paper presents the results of a pilot study that examined how students participating in non-formal education engage with multi-modal pedagogical approaches designed to address multiple dimensions of diversity via an intersectionality lens. Working with diverse groups requires varied methods; as such, a mixed-method approach was employed in the study to ensure the research team authentically captured and engaged with the lived experiences of the participants. The study aimed to generate best practices that augment the science capital of students, which are applicable across various contexts of diversity. The pedagogical approaches, while not novel in science education literature, were rarely utilised by the teacher and thus were rarely experienced by the students. Participants reported a greater sense of autonomy and ownership of the science through participation in the DiSSI programme. Preliminary results indicate an overall positive experience for students and teachers alike and offer insights into the overall lived experiences of participants, which inform future work.

This paper provides evidence gathered from two suites of non-formal science activities that were intended to increase engagement in science by culturally diverse groups. Both studies involved the delivery of science activities that were designed, implemented and evaluated to show culturally contextualised science. The activities were run in two very different contexts (urban and very rural areas) and were designed to be of relevance to two distinctive cultural groups (those with links to South Asia, and those being educated through the medium of Gaelic, an indigenous minority language in Scotland), while also actively engaging with those beyond the target group. The link between language identity and culture was incorporated into the design of both sets of activities as well as the qualitative evaluation. The latter considers how the participants' assessment of the interventions, implemented by writing or drawing on a blank postcard, was designed to provide unstructured responses and explores what the resulting data revealed about the impact of the interventions. The findings suggest that the set of activities that most strongly engaged participants on the value of diversity in the creation of scientific knowledge, as well as increasing their focus on the consequences of scientific activity, were those that facilitated a more exploratory approach to the subject matter. By contrast, activities that had to be done according to a standard scientific protocol produced growth in subject-specific knowledge. The present paper explores the principles of the inclusive pedagogies that informed the design of the activities and discusses how these were operationalised in two very contrasting cultural contexts. The key finding was that presenting science as social practice, rather than as being socially neutral, is key to promoting engagement, along with the benefits of explicitly demonstrating the relevance of science to participants' daily lives.

This paper describes and compares primary school students' perceptions of science learning skills in a teacher-centered approach (TCA) and in inquiry-based science fieldwork (IBSF). This comparison was prompted by primary school students' perceptions of science learning skills, which has recently gained momentum, and the Namibian primary schools' recent curriculum shift from TCA to IBSF. The study utilized quantitative cross-sectional data (n = 237) collected from two primary schools in the Oshana region of Namibia. The data were gathered via an online survey and were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the TCA and IBSF groups. The results revealed that the students had positive to fairly positive perceptions of science learning skills in IBSF and very negative to negative perceptions of science learning skills in TCA, with the difference between the two perceptions being statistically significant. This may indicate that Namibian primary school students find it hard to develop science learning skills under TCA. Therefore, the current study provided evidence for the need to focus more on supporting students' science learning skills, particularly problem-solving, communication and teamwork skills. This implies that the IBSF teaching approach, which allows students to become aware of the importance of science learning skills, must be adopted in Namibian primary schools. The paper also discusses the benefits of IBSF of science learning skills in students.

The scope of this preliminary study revolves around investigating the effectiveness of experiential learning in upper-year science laboratory courses in a post-pandemic era. In this study we have explored two key questions: 1. Can experiential learning facilitate independent inquiry in an upper-year undergraduate laboratory in a post-pandemic era? 2. Do incoming students feel prepared to carry out an in-person, hands-on, upper-year undergraduate laboratory experiments in a post-pandemic era? By exploring these questions through student reflections and perceptions in an advanced analytical chemistry inquiry-based laboratory course, we hope to acknowledge the impact the pandemic has had on first- and second-year foundational labs, and on the preparation of students for upper-year undergraduate labs. The shift towards virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic may have heavily impacted the development of core wet laboratory skills and thus made it challenging for students to build their confidence and skillset and attain success when challenged at a higher level. [Articles in this journal were presented at the University of Calgary Conference on Postsecondary Learning and Teaching.]

Although formulating a broadly accepted definition of scientific literacy may be challenging, it is widely recognized that Nature of Science (NOS) is an essential component of it. There are different ways to define NOS. In some cases, NOS can be conceptualized through a number of general NOS aspects like for instance science's empirical basis or tentativeness. This approach in NOS teaching and learning is considered to be helpful for advancing students' understanding about NOS. Moreover, it has been suggested that history of science, and more specifically narratives informed by the history of science, can be very well used to explicitly and systematically highlight general NOS aspects. Thus, this paper reports on two "fiction talk stories" that we created considering the history of the super-organismic-plant-community concept and the critique against it. Our stories, "Inspiration cannot wait" and "Panta rhei," set focus on the creativity involved in scientists' work, the distinction between observation and inference, and the tentativeness of science. In this paper, we (a) discuss fiction talk stories as a type of narratives used in educational contexts, (b) highlight the historical background of "Inspiration cannot wait" and "Panta rhei" and present the narratives themselves, (c) discuss them in terms of their essential features and the strategies we considered, and (d) we make some final remarks.

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education is transforming various dimensions of the education system, such as instructional practices, assessment strategies, and administrative processes. It also plays an active role in the progression of science education. This systematic review attempts to render an inherent understanding of the evidence-based interaction between AI and science education. Specifically, this study offers a consolidated analysis of AI's impact on students' learning outcomes, contexts of its adoption, students' and teachers' perceptions about its use, and the challenges of its use within science education. The present study followed the PRISMA guidelines to review empirical papers published from 2014 to 2023. In total, 74 records met the eligibility for this systematic study. Previous research provides evidence of AI integration into a variety of fields in physical and natural sciences in many countries across the globe. The results revealed that AI-powered tools are integrated into science education to achieve various pedagogical benefits, including enhancing the learning environment, creating quizzes, assessing students' work, and predicting their academic performance. The findings from this paper have implications for teachers, educational administrators, and policymakers.

This paper presents a novel approach to teaching how vaccines work in the body, and introduces a community outreach project and activity we piloted with youth. Our Nuestra Ciencia program addresses scientific misconceptions among bilingual elementary school children in engaging and scientifically accurate ways. Utilizing analogies and storytelling, one of our lessons simplifies the complex microbiology concept of the mechanism of action of vaccines. We underscore the issue with conveying this concept through accurate visuals, supported by our research that revealed that less than 1% of cartoons available online accurately depict how vaccines work. The analogy we developed and showcase in this paper employs relatable characters: the virus as a robber, the immune system as a superhero, and the vaccine as a "most wanted" poster. The activities include a skit and storyboard session, enabling students to act out the analogy and create their own imaginative scenarios. By targeting young learners, this lesson aims to prevent long-standing misconceptions and empower future generations to make informed decisions about vaccination. Nuestra Ciencia offers a promising model for combating vaccine hesitancy and promoting public health through effective science communication.

Research in languages and literacies in science education (LLSE) has developed substantial theoretical and pedagogical insights into how students learn science through language, discourse, and multimodal representations. At the same time, language is central to the functioning of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). On this common basis concerning the role of language, this paper explores how foundational ideas from LLSE studies can inform the use of GenAI in science education. A bibliometric analysis of 412 journal articles from Web of Science provided the initial step to identify major themes and relationships in the LLSE literature. The analysis revealed four clusters of research in LLSE: reading and writing scientific text, science discourse and interaction, multilingual science classroom, and multimodality and representations. Each cluster was further analyzed through close reading of selected articles to identify and connect key constructs to the potential use of GenAI. These constructs include the interactive-constructive reading model, text genre, reading-writing integration, dialogic interaction, critical questioning, argumentation, translanguaging, hybridity, thematic pattern, modal affordance, and transduction. From these ideas and connections, the paper recommends several pedagogical principles for science educators to guide the use of GenAI. It concludes that LLSE research offers valuable insights for researchers and teachers to investigate and design the use of GenAI in science education. In turn, the impending use of GenAI also calls for a rethinking of literacy that will shape future research in LLSE.

Recently, I was at a Microsoft Technology Center to discuss the augmented reality (AR) technology developed in my lab for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We also explored the possibility of using artificial intelligence (AI) to automate interactions with digital AR characters. We were also given a tour of the Microsoft 365 Copilot AI technology. This experience, along with my upcoming experiences with the rapidly evolving and publicly available AI technology, triggered a series of questions and reflections about the use of AI in scientific work and writing. In this article, the author reflects upon recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have led to profound discussions about AI's role in scientific research and education. AI technologies are now capable of summarizing and analyzing large volumes of data, creating presentations, and even drafting parts of scientific papers and grants with minimal human input. With their exponential ongoing advancements, they will become even more capable in doing these tasks. As boundaries between humans and AI blurs, serious questions arise about the future roles, responsibilities, and identity of academic researchers, intellectual property, publishing and grantsmanship, and equity in the world of AI potentiated research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-evaluating scientific paper quality aids in alleviating peer review pressure and fostering scientific advancement. Although prior studies have identified numerous quality-related features, their effectiveness and representativeness of paper content remain to be comprehensively investigated. Addressing this issue, we propose a content-based interpretable method for pre-evaluating the quality of scientific papers. Firstly, we define quality attributes of computer science (CS) papers as integrity , clarity , novelty , and significance , based on peer review criteria from 11 top-tier CS conferences. We formulate the problem as two classification tasks: Accepted/Disputed/Rejected (ADR) and Accepted/Rejected (AR). Subsequently, we construct fine-grained features from metadata and knowledge entity networks, including text structure, readability, references, citations, semantic novelty, and network structure. We empirically evaluate our method using the ICLR paper dataset, achieving optimal performance with the Random Forest model, yielding F1 scores of 0.715 and 0.762 for the two tasks, respectively. Through feature analysis and case studies employing SHAP interpretable methods, we demonstrate that the proposed features enhance the performance of machine learning models in scientific paper quality evaluation, offering interpretable evidence for model decisions. • Define four criteria for quality evaluation of scientific papers: integrity, clarity, novelty, and significance. • Propose a framework for quality evaluation of scientific papers based on coarse features and knowledge entity network. • An effective algorithm for measuring the novelty and significance of scientific papers based on knowledge entity networks. • Create and release a rigorous dataset, which could serve as the gold standard for quality evaluation of scientific papers. • Conduct extensive experiments to validate the effectiveness of the proposed framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a simple, cognitive theory of science and learning. The first section of the paper develops the theory's two main propositions: (i) A wide range of scientific activities rely heavily on one type of reasoning, hypothetical thinking, and (ii) This type of reasoning is also useful to students for learning science content. The second section of the paper presents a taxonomy of multiple-choice questions that use hypothetical thinking and the third section of the paper tests the theory using data from a college biology course. As expected by the theory, student responses to 24 scientific reasoning questions were consistent with a one-dimensional psychometric construct. Student responses to the scientific reasoning questions explained 36% of the variance in exam grades. Several directions for additional research are identified, including studying the psychometric structure of scientific thinking in more detail, performing randomized, controlled experiments to demonstrate a causal relationship between scientific thinking and learning, and identifying the relative contribution of other factors to success in college.

Observation is widely regarded as a fundamental way of studying nature. However, due to its complexity, proposing a comprehensive characterization is challenging. Observation is a method of studying nature that can be divided into several dimensions. Each of these dimensions can be presented as a pair of terms, which are elaborated in this paper based on the epistemological, philosophical, and educational literature. In addition, the dimensions can be assigned to two levels, which can be used to group the individual dimensions. This epistemological perspective on the method is enriched by historical examples from different periods in physics and astronomy to substantiate and illustrate the classifications. The aim of the paper is to provide an overview of the epistemological features of the method in terms of these dimensions, which may be helpful for discussions in teacher training courses.

This article presents the epistemological complexity inherent in the roll out of an international project on Disaster and Risk Reduction, and consequently about science education in the Indigenous context of Turkana County in Kenya. After an introduction that explains the current state of Disaster and Risk Reduction, the paper focuses on the 'Paper Volcanoes Laboratory' program and toolkit for children and teachers, which aims to spread awareness about natural hazards among children. The paper argues that the geographical, social and educational context where the project is carried out is critical to consider, and decolonial studies provide a conceptual and theoretical framework for this project. This allows to recognize reproduction of infantilization of Indigenous people and children through Western knowledge and science if implemented without consideration for local contexts, and demonstrates how Western educational projects have been a tool of discrimination and colonization. However, at the same time, it opens up the possibility for a dialogue and an encounter between the different epistemologies present in a project that was conceptualized within the Western context, but is to be carried out in Turkana County in Kenya.

Beginning 60 years ago, Thomas Kuhn has had a significant impact across the academy and on culture more widely. And he had a great impact on science education research, theorising, and pedagogy. For the majority of educators, the second edition (1970) of his "Structure of Scientific Revolutions" (Kuhn, 1970a) articulated the very nature of the science, the discipline they were teaching. More particularly, Kuhn's book directly influenced four burgeoning research fields in science education: Children's Conceptual Change, Constructivism, Science-Technology-Society studies, and Cultural Studies of Science Education. This paper looks back to the Kuhnian years in science education and to the long shadow they cast. The discipline of science education needs to learn from its past so that comparable mistakes might be averted in the future. Kuhn's influence was good and bad. Good, that he brought HPS to so many; bad, that, on key points, his account of science was flawed. This paper will document the book's two fundamental errors: namely, its Kantian-influenced ontological idealism and its claims of incommensurability between competing paradigms. Both had significant flow-on effects. Although the book had many positive features, this paper will document how most of these ideas and insights were well established in HPS literature at the time of its 1962 publication. Kuhn was not trained in philosophy, he was not part of the HPS tradition, and to the detriment of all, he did not engage with it. This matters, because before publication he could have abandoned, modified, or refined much of his 'revolutionary' text. Something that he subsequently did, but this amounted to closing the gate after the horse had bolted. In particular, the education horse had well and truly bolted. While educators were rushing to adopt Kuhn, many philosophers, historians, and sociologists were rejecting him. Kuhn did modify and 'walk back' many of the head-turning, but erroneous, claims of Structure. But his retreat went largely unnoticed in education, and so the original, deeply flawed Structure affected the four above-mentioned central research fields. The most important lesson to be learnt from science education's uncritical embrace of Kuhn and Kuhnianism is that the problems arose not from personal inadequacies; individuals are not to blame. There was a systematic, disciplinary deficiency. This needs to be addressed by raising the level of philosophical competence in the discipline, beginning with the inclusion of HPS in teacher education and graduate programmes.

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Climate change education is both important and challenging. Prior research suggests that many secondary school science teachers in the United States were conveying "mixed messages" to students that legitimized scientifically unwarranted explanations of recent global warming. In this paper, we focus on US climate education at the middle school level and assess whether teacher attention to recent global warming, and whether the messages conveyed to students, changed between 2014 and 2019. Pooling data from two nationally representative probability surveys of middle school science teachers, we show significant advances on several key criteria, but the prevalence of mixed messages remained high. Exploratory analysis suggests that improvements were spurred partly by the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards by many states and by partly by shifts in the personal views of science educators.

This paper presents two low-cost hands-on activities designed to enhance student understanding and address the pedagogical challenges faced by microbiology professors in teaching concepts related to cell structure and gene regulation. In the first activity, we used Shrinky Dinks and Jeopardy-style game questions to explore the differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Students have to collect pieces and physically build their cell models. The second activity uses origami organelles sets from Edvotek to illustrate the regulation of gene expression in the "lac" and "trp" operons, incorporating mutation scenarios for analysis. The intended audience comprises undergraduate students in microbiology, including biology, pre-medical studies, and health profession majors. The activities were deployed in three microbiology lectures, and students were surveyed. Students' feedback highlights the efficacy of the hands-on approach and increased class participation, as two of the recurring words in the students' survey were "helpful" and "fun."

The COVID-19 global pandemic has prompted educators in universities to reconsider their teaching methods, mainly due to the social distancing measures imposed within the classroom settings. On the other hand, the growing importance of continuing education opportunities for adult learners after graduation has seen the need to transform traditional teaching modes that primarily depend on face-to-face interaction into virtual modes, which are deemed more time- and cost-efficient. These major shifts in social and economic developments have a significant impact on the evolution of curriculum planning in higher education. Education that has scientific inquiry components inevitably comes into question, as conventional beliefs that experiments should be hands-on and will not be as effective if conducted virtually cast doubts on the move to the online space. This paper discusses the background of an impending shift in a university's approach to more online-based laboratory classes in an immunology course, as well as the exploration of the potential of conducting online laboratory experiments based on student perceptions.

The COVID-19 health crisis brought about transformations in education systems. In Chile, the ministerial authorities prioritized the school curriculum, stressing certain learning objectives over others. This paper seeks to uncover the social functions underlying curriculum prioritization for the subject of natural sciences. To do this, the functionalist approach to the sociology of education was adopted to analyse the prioritized curriculum for the subject in sixth grade elementary. Three dimensions were considered: (1) the principles of curriculum prioritization; (2) prioritized learning objectives; and (3) nonprioritized learning objectives. The presence of functions of creation (social consensus, social stratification, technical-modern development, human capital formation, and care for children and youths) was verified. As there has been no change in the curriculum that enables science education to address the current issues, the paper proposes that the social functions of science education should be resignified. Finally, examining the meritocracy and credentialism underlying the rationale for prioritization, the article finds that the social stratification attributed to education has increased rather than decreased.

Background and Purpose: As a growing number of instructional units have been developed to promote young children's scientific and engineering practices (SEPs), understanding how to evaluate and assess children's SEPs is imperative. However, paper-and-pencil assessments would not be suitable for young children because of their limited reading and writing skills. To explore the assessments for SEPs available for young children aged 3-8 years, this study reviewed assessments of young children's SEPs reported in empirical studies, and analysed the characteristics of these assessments to delineate how young children's SEPs have been measured. Methods: We followed the procedures of a systematic review proposed by Zawacki-Richter et al. (2020). The EBSCOhost database was used to gather empirical studies in education and psychology. A total of 46 articles published from 2003 to 2020 met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Findings: The findings indicated that of the eight SEPs suggested by the National Research Council (2012), "Analysing and interpreting data" was assessed the most, followed by "Using mathematics and computational thinking, Constructing explanations and designing solutions," and "Planning and carrying out investigations." A majority of assessments were designed for children of 4, 5, and 6 years old and used paper-based visualizations and real objects to present the tasks and items. Additionally, due to the verbal or performance nature of the SEPs, the assessments collected different types of data as evidence to evaluate children's SEPs. Performance-based assessments were the most common, followed by multiple-choice, ranking, and oral responses. Conclusion: The findings of the reviewed assessments revealed a variety of performance expectations of SEPs and suggested that some SEPs are measurable and developmentally appropriate for young children. Also, the availability of assessments is uneven in different types of SEPs, and more assessments for information communication and modelling practices are needed.

This paper explores how storying can be used to uncover experiences of student belonging throughout their time in Higher Education. It adopts a framing of belonging that is fluid and which recognises shifting notions of belonging over time. A focus on storying is particularly useful for understanding belonging as it enables university staff to listen carefully and with empathy to what matters to students, what shapes their experiences, and how to communicate these in a way which invites positive action. Through storying with undergraduate student articulations gathered through a survey, interviews and focus groups at a university in the UK, the paper identifies the multifaceted and connected spaces of belonging, temporalities and relationships that come to affect student belonging. Ultimately the paper argues for the collective responsibility of staff and students to create a space of belonging for all, rather than the prevalent discourse which often puts the onus on an individual to "fit in".

This paper draws on a multi-phase project that sought to understand and increase young children's engagement with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) objects. The paper presents findings from one aspect of this project that involved using storytelling to support young children's agency with STEM objects in a UK science museum. The qualitative research involved observing and interviewing 25 children aged 4-7 years in family and school groups. The findings demonstrate the importance of acknowledging and promoting young children's agency in museum settings. They suggest that providing children with opportunities to exercise agency by them taking control and activating their prior knowledge and interests during museum visits increases their engagement, enjoyment, and confidence. The study also highlights the important role that adults, including parents, teachers, and museum staff, play in facilitating children's agency and increasing their engagement with museum objects and spaces.

This paper examines the technologisation of the pedagogical space "classroom". We will discuss the development and establishment of the subject-specific classroom system in the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany, 1949-1989) by taking a closer look at organisational-structural conditions and responsibilities, as well as at the functioning and challenges that emerged during the implementation of subject classrooms. The furnishing of the subject classroom with seating, desks, teaching and learning objects including technical equipment, and storage furniture was planned down to the last detail and aligned to the requirements of the curriculum. We will concentrate on the classrooms for Physics and Music to highlight the peculiarities of this principle of school spatial organisation and its impact on social school practice. Our paper will focus on the political agenda and regulations, by drawing on sources from state-led research programmes. The article uses the concept of the classroom dispositif as a description of the programmatic claims. Thus, the subject-specific classroom could be considered as a technically shaped apparatus whose architectural structure determines pedagogical practices in their spatial, temporal, social, institutional, and technical dimensions.

The paper aims to provide a review of literature that emphasizes students' and teachers' views on the nature of science (NOS) and associated instructional approaches to develop adequate understanding of the NOS that have been employed in different contexts. One hundred and seventy-two (172) studies were selected from ResearchGate, Academia, Google Scholar, and ERIC database from the year 2000 to 2022 and few important documents published before 2000. The paper presents an exploration of NOS aspects and identifies the gaps in the previous researches. The reviewed studies inform us that students have strong misconceptions on some NOS aspects such as relationship between theories and laws, observations, and scientific method, while teachers have strong misconception on relationship between theories and laws. The NOS instructional approaches discussed in reviewed papers have a positive effect in improving the NOS understanding. Reviewed literature suggests that some instructional approaches have positive effect to teach most of targeted NOS aspects such as explicit and reflective approach. In addition, the findings indicate that explicit and reflective instruction has been more documented and tried out into different contexts in which a considerable effect on students' views on NOS was noted. Despite all efforts put in place, there is still a need for a lot to be done on active instructional approaches and interventions in this regard, particularly in developing countries with emphasis to the Sub-Saharan Africa education context.

This paper introduces a process of reading, reflection, and discussion used by two white faculty teaching at predominately white institutions to address challenges to equity in their introductory astronomy courses. The conversations focused on the context of large introductory courses, where individual instructors may lack resources and agency to make large-scale structural changes. Six goals to improve the classroom experience for all students are identified. The paper explores the nature of inequities that students face and, through a process of backwards design, identifies actions that begin to address such issues. The ideas discussed are rooted in ongoing conversations around injustice, antiracism, equity and inclusion and this paper describes a process by which individual instructors can make progress in their own classrooms. We write this paper with the hope that it could serve as a model, and that other faculty of introductory courses might consider embracing similar goals as we strive to make our disciplines more welcoming and inclusive.

When students think of evolution, they might imagine T. rex, or perhaps an abiotic scene of sizzling electrical storms and harsh reducing atmospheres, an Earth that looks like a lunar landscape. Natural selection automatically elicits responses that include "survival of the fittest," and "descent with modification," and with these historical biological catch phrases, one conjures up images of large animals battling it out on the Mesozoic plane. Rarely do teachers or students apply these same ideas to cancer and the evolution of somatic cells, which have accrued mutations and epigenetic imprinting and relentlessly survive and proliferate. Our questions in this paper include the following: Can cancer become an important teaching model for students to explore fundamental hypotheses about evolutionary process? Can the multi-step somatic cancer model encourage visualizations that enable students to revisit and reenter previous primary concepts in general biology such as the cell, mitosis, chromosomes, genetic diversity, ecological diversity, immune function, and of course evolution, continually integrating their biology knowledge into process and pattern knowledge? Can the somatic cancer model expose similar patterns and protagonists, linking Darwinian observations of the natural world to our body? And, can the cancer clone model excite critical thinking and student hypotheses about what cancer is as a biological process? Does this visually simple model assist students in recognizing patterns, connecting their biological curriculum dots into a more coherent learning experience? These biological dynamics and intercepting aptitudes of cells are amplified through the cancer model and can help shape the way biology students begin to appreciate the interrelatedness of all biological systems while they continue to explore pivotal points of biological fuzziness, such as the microbiome, limitations of models, and the complex coordination of genomic networks required for the function of even a single cell and the realization of phenotypes. In this paper we use clonal evolution of cancer as a model experience for students to recreate how a single, non-germline cell appears to shadow the classic pattern of natural selection in body cells that have gone awry. With authentic STEAM activities students can easily crossover and revisit previous biological topics and the ubiquitous nature of natural selection as seen in the example of somatic cells that result in a metastasizing tumor, giving students insight into natural selection's accommodating and tractable patterns throughout the planet.

It is well-known that digital learning materials influence the classroom curriculum and didactics. At the same time, few studies examine the role of the data visualizations offered by digital learning materials. Data visualizations signpost the emergence of students as data subjects who can be observed and compared on a computer screen. They thus shape teachers' socio-technical ways of seeing student learning and are likely to influence student assessments. Drawing inspiration from Science and Technology Studies (STS), this paper advances an analytical framework for eliciting the politics of data visualizations, focusing on automation, agencies, and aesthetics. The framework is exemplified through a case study of a popular Danish digital mathematics platform. In a concluding discussion, the paper considers the importance of addressing unsettled and ethical questions about the role of automated digital systems in teachers' knowledge practices.

Although adults are known to play an important role in young children's development, little work has focused on the enactive features of scaffolding in informal learning settings, and the embodied dynamics of intergenerational interaction. To address this gap, this paper undertakes a microinteractional analysis to examine intergenerational collaborative interaction in a science museum setting. The paper presents a fine-grained moment-by-moment analysis of video-recorded interaction of children and their adult carers around science-themed objects. Taking an enactive cognition perspective, the analysis enables access to subtle shifts in interactants' perception, action, gesture, and movement to examine how young children engage with exhibits, and the role adult action plays in supporting young children's engagement with exhibits and developing ideas about science. Our findings demonstrate that intergenerational "embodied scaffolding" is instrumental in making "enactive potentialities" in the environment more accessible for children, thus deepening and enriching children's engagement with science. Adult action is central to revealing scientific dimensions of objects' interaction and relationships in ways that expose novel types of perception and action opportunities in shaping science experiences and meaning making. This has implications for science education practices since it foregrounds not only "doing" science, through active hands-on activities, but also speaks to the interconnectedness between senses and the role of the body in thinking. Drawing on the findings, this paper also offers design implications for informal science learning environments.

The use of digital technologies as teaching and learning materials supports and enhances science learning, encouraging students to develop valuable inquiry skills and knowledge. In response, this paper seeks to explore digital inquiry-based learning as a useful aid for teaching the elementary school science curriculum on plants in Malaysia. There is a strong rationale for this work, as (i) this curriculum has received less attention compared to the equivalent on animals, and (ii) students have developed misconceptions about plants, typically in the areas of plant nutrition and photosynthesis. Thus, the paper describes a 5E Instructional Model lesson plan, which uses various digital technologies to tackle different inquiry elements at each instructional model stage. The goals of the activities are to help students: (i) assess their preexisting knowledge and engage with a new concept, (ii) create predictions and document their observations, (iii) display their conceptual understanding, (iv) gain a more profound and broader understanding through new experiences, and (v) examine their understanding and abilities with the aid of digital technology resources. The suggested activities are further discussed in relation to different types of digital technologies and evidence-based practice, thus encouraging other educators to integrate digital inquiry-based learning into their work.

The purpose of this study is to examine how physics students position themselves compared to other student groups on various attitudes and opinions relevant to the tradition of "scientific skepticism". Previous research has shown physics students identifying and having mindsets in line with the epistemic ideas from this philosophical tradition, promoting disbelief in epistemically unfounded ideas, and skeptical inquiry as a tool for evaluating claims. In this, we employ quantitative constructs testing conspiracy beliefs and supernatural beliefs along with established psychological constructs for social dominance orientation, and the conspiracy mentality questionnaire that have previously been shown to have interconnectedness. After showing several direct comparisons between different student groups, the paper also examines other elements that can influence "scientific skepticism", like education level, education type, and gender via multivariate regression analysis. The results suggest physics students tend to position themselves to the end of the spectrum on several constructs connected to scientific skepticism, both compared to students from the humanities and social sciences, and students from other STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields, and the regression analysis finds being a physics student contributes a statistically significant contribution along the tested dimensions. The paper discusses possible reasons for this and what this tells us about physics students and physics education.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the popular educational broadcasting of Julius Sumner Miller and its intersections with contemporary science policy and education. Design/methodology/approach: The paper draws on archival research including resources so far unused by historians of science or of broadcasting and audio-visual resources of Sumner Miller's broadcasts on Australian, Canadian and American television. It begins by contextualising Sumner Miller as both an academic and broadcaster. The second section interprets the core points of his educational philosophy which he articulated in his written and broadcast works. The final section uses his private papers contextualised by works on the history and philosophy of science to interpret and delineate the disparity between Sumner Miller's influence as a populariser of science and the prevailing trends in scientific policy and teaching. Findings: This paper proposes that reconstructing the themes and recurring points he asserted in his broadcasts reveals disjunction between Sumner Miller's high-profile successes and the contemporary trends in both science policy and science education. This paper interprets the circumstance of an internationally known and influential science populariser who was coterminous with but against the grain of the notion of "big science". He therefore sought to popularise science precisely as it was developing in ways he disparaged. Research limitations/implications: This paper breaks new ground by interpreting the different sources, audio-visual and written, created by and about an influential television broadcaster. Originality/value: Although he was widely and internationally known, and the range of his influence on science communication is generally noted, Sumner Miller's broadcasting and the themes and educational philosophy espoused in it is little researched and contextualised. This paper sharpens understanding of his influence but also his points of intersection and disjunction with scientific culture. Hitherto unused archival resources contribute to this understanding.

This paper describes a teaching experiment in a Numerical Methods course for Master of Science students. The experiment uses scientific papers to develop modelling studies in the context of wine fermentation microbial interactions. The course involves theoretical and laboratory classes that focus on implementing numerical methods using Matlab for Initial Value Problems and Boundary Value Problems. The students are asked to formalise the mathematical model and build their own experiments using the information provided in the papers. Additionally, a parameter estimation experiment is organised, which involves generating synthetic data and computing noisy data to estimate the natural death rate of sensitive yeast. The results show that data noise significantly affects the parameter estimate and that scaling the data can help reduce the impact of measurement errors. The presented results can be used to investigate other possible assignments, such as how the evaluation of the Jacobian affects the estimation performance and compare different optimisation algorithms.

The article discusses the establishment and evolution of the periodical, highlighting its role in promoting scientific research from Serbia and its commitment to quality and accessibility. Topics discussed include the historical context leading to the journal's foundation, the importance of international scientific collaboration, and the journal's dedication to open access and rigorous peer review.

Theoretical framework is one of the main parts of the research paper, so that researchers are expected to be able to determine the relevant theory that underlies their research. The purpose of conducting this systematic literature review (SLR) is to review of theoretical framework, compare, and describe various theoretical research frameworks in an investigative manner on the theme of self efficacy in collaborative science learning that underlies publications in Scopus indexed journals in the last ten years. In this regard, we used the phrase "self-efficacy in collaborative science learning" on the disbursement menu in the Scopus database and found 711 articles. There were 63 articles that met the criteria for analysis. The inclusion and exclusion model used is PRISMA. The newly discovered aspects consist of community of practice, professional learning community, and reflection, which are as a result of the development of a theory of change and a theory of instruction constructed from theoretical frameworks in the recent collaborative science learning practices literature. Therefore, the development of this theory can be considered as a theoretical basis for developing the self-efficacy of prospective science teachers in collaborative learning in the future. The purpose of conducting this systematic literature review (SLR) is to review, compare, and describe various theoretical research frameworks in an investigative manner on the theme of self-efficacy in collaborative science learning that underlies publications in Scopus indexed journals in the last ten years. In this regard, we used the phrase "self-efficacy in collaborative science learning" on the disbursement menu in the Scopus database and found 711 articles. There were 63 articles that met the criteria for analysis. The inclusion and exclusion model used is PRISMA. The newly discovered aspects consist of community of practice, professional learning community, and reflection, which are as a result of the development of a theory of change and a theory of instruction constructed from theoretical frameworks in the recent collaborative science learning practices literature. Therefore, the development of this theory can be considered as a theoretical basis for developing the self-efficacy of prospective science teachers in collaborative learning in the future.

A game-based approach is widely used to increase students' motivation through their active participation, whereby research is interwoven with fun and competition is incorporated with cooperation. Working in teams or groups encourages students to exchange their opinions, to try to find solutions together or to win a game. In this way, they learn and improve skills such as collaboration and responsibility. Several activities involving the 5E model as part of inquiry-based science education and an escape room as part of game-based learning were used in science classes (chemistry, biology and physics). The activities were designed on three different topics - gases, ecology and electrical circuits - within the project "Diversity in Science towards Social Inclusion - Non-formal Education in Science for Students' Diversity". The activities focused on the students' self-concept towards science, interest in the subject, motivation and career aspirations in STEM, as well as the effectiveness of the implemented activities. The study aimed to assess the potential advantages of implementing activities in an ethnically diverse environment, benefiting both students and teachers. Pre- and post-questionnaires were designed and distributed to 190 students from various primary and secondary schools in Macedonia. The present paper provides an overview of game-based activities as well as a brief analysis of the pre- and post-questionnaire responses from students, focusing on the topic of ecology.

This paper uses data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and employs multiple regression models to investigate the relationship between teacher salary and educational achievement in mathematics and science across 30 countries. After controlling for alternative wage opportunities and two macroeconomic factors (GDP per capita and educational expenditure as percentage of GDP), the results reveal no significant relationship between teacher salary and educational achievement in mathematics and science. These findings imply the need to look beyond a single policy, such as higher salaries, in favor of policy strategies that address working conditions and other challenges facing new teachers.

Science teachers play a crucial role in the science education system, significantly influencing the development of students. However, existing research highlights issues such as a wide age span and uneven quality among science teachers, which undermines the effectiveness of science education. In addition, the role of science teachers can be ambiguously defined, leading to confusion about their responsibilities. To better understand the current situation and future development trend of research on the role of science teachers in China and overseas, this study compares and analyses a total of 30 documents on the role of science teachers in Chinese or English. The documents were from Web of science or CNKI databases. Content analysis was applied on time of publication, volume of papers, research topic, and similarities and differences of the role development of science teachers in China or overseas. Results show that: (1) At present, the development trend of research on the role of science teachers published in English and Chinese is relatively slow and has not received due attention. Most mainstream research paradigms are still in the stage of theoretical exploration; (2) the research theme of the role of science teachers mainly includes five aspects: Role expectation, role orientation, role identification, role transformation, and role; (3) the "should be" research published in Chinese and the "real" research published in English should be combined and form a positive interaction. This study is helpful to systematically analyze the current situation of research on the role of science teachers, with a view to providing a basis for subsequent research on the role of science teachers.

There is an increasing interest in the integration of computational thinking (CT) in the K-12 curriculum. By integrating CT into other disciplines, the aim is to equip students with essential skills to navigate domain-specific challenges. This study conducts a systematic review of 108 peer-reviewed scientific papers to analyze in which K-12 subjects CT is being integrated, learning objectives, CT integration levels, instructional strategies, technologies and tools employed, assessment strategies, research designs and educational stages of participants. The findings reveal that: (a) over two-thirds of the CT integration studies predominantly focus on science and mathematics; (b) the majority of the studies implement CT at the substitution level rather than achieving a transformation impact; (c) active learning is a commonly mentioned instructional strategy, with block-based languages and physical devices being frequently utilized tools; (d) in terms of assessment, the emphasis primarily lies in evaluating attitudes towards technology or the learning context, rather than developing valid and reliable assessment instruments. These findings shed light on the current state of CT integration in K-12 education. The identified trends provide valuable insights for educators, curriculum designers, and policymakers seeking to effectively incorporate CT across various disciplines in a manner that fosters meaningful skill development with an interdisciplinary approach. By leveraging these insights, we can strive to enhance CT integration efforts, ensuring the holistic development of students' computational thinking abilities and promoting their preparedness for the increasingly interdisciplinary domains of digital world.

The objectives of the present study are to investigate both the history of the collection of scientific instruments from the Maraslean Teaching Center (MTC) and the potential for the collection's use in STEM education programs. Although MTC went by a number of different names during its long history, its institutional goal remained the same: training the Greek state's primary school teachers-to-be. To so do, it was necessary to assemble a collection of scientific instruments. The first objective of the paper is to present in detail the gradual enlargement of the collection from the last quarter of the 19th century through to the 1930s, along with the way the instruments were used in science lessons and the central role MTC played in relation to other regional teaching schools in Greece in terms of the distribution, administration, repair and maintenance of the equipment. The second objective is to investigate the role the historical scientific instruments can play not only in the history of science, but also in contemporary science teaching. The findings reveal that the history of laboratory physics education in MTC along with the corresponding collection of the historical scientific instruments can be a fertile ground for implementing STEM education programs. Finally, the findings imply the broader integration of STEM education and history of science in order to promote cultural and procedural aspects of science in student teachers and beyond. Such integration gives rise to broader research on introducing STEM education to cultural embedded environments, such as museums and historically important schools and laboratories, such as MTC.

Bodily engagement with the material and sociocultural world is ubiquitous in doing and learning science. However, science education researchers have often tended to emphasize the disembodied and nonmaterial aspects of science learning, thereby overlooking the crucial role of the body in meaning-making processes. While in recent years we have seen a turn towards embracing embodied perspectives, there persist considerable theoretical and methodological differences within research on embodiment in science education that hamper productive discourse. What is needed is a careful examination of how different traditions and disciplines, among them philosophy, social semiotics, and cognitive science, bear on embodiment in science education research. This paper aims to explore and articulate the differences and convergences of embodied perspectives in science education research in the form of a dialogue between three fictitious personas that stand for the cognitive, social-interactionist, and phenomenological research traditions. By bringing these traditions into dialogue, we aim to better position the role of the body in the science education research landscape. In doing so, we take essential steps towards unifying terminology across different research traditions and further exploring the implications of embodiment for science education research.

In 1752, the American polymath Benjamin Franklin supposedly flew a kite near the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to confirm that lightning had the same properties of common electricity that electrical machines produced and Leyden jars served to store. Illustrations, vignettes and paintings frequently portray the famous experiment, showing Franklin, with a boy, flying the kite in an open field and amid a storm. Nonetheless, little is known or said about the elements of these illustrations and the reference the illustrators used to portray the experiment. This paper aims to discuss these matters in a thoughtful study of seven nineteenth-century illustrations depicting Benjamin Franklin's kite experiment. I will show that the account by Joseph Priestley in his "The History and Present State of Electricity," published in 1767, influenced these illustrations. I indicate that due to this influence, the illustrations present several departures from Franklin's original account, leading to a mistaken iconography of how the experiment took place. I conclude with a discussion on how this study can contribute to a better use and understanding of illustrations depicting scientific episodes in science classrooms.

Internationalization in higher education is essential, and although active learning methodologies are increasing and allow students to develop transversal skills, most still have a very local scope. In this context, the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) methodology is an interesting approach to benefit the students' development. It consists of an online program that involves creating multicultural teams to develop a specific learning project. Although this methodology is expanding, its use in physiology is still scarce. This paper aims to show an example of applying COIL methodology in physiology topics to enhance higher-education students' innovation and business skills. Our example project developed a sports-assessment service concept focused on physiology and biomechanics assessments. The program involved teams from Brazil, Germany, and Spain, comprising undergraduate and master students. Over 7 weeks, these teams, mentored by professors and researchers, engaged in workshops covering COIL methodology, business model design, executive summary planning, economic analyses, and communication techniques. Key outcomes included learning new concepts, developing soft skills, building confidence in innovative solution proposals, and experiencing diverse cultures. Challenges faced were language barriers, scheduling, task complexity, and logistical issues. This experience confirms the effectiveness of incorporating programs using COIL methodology into educational curriculums. Doing so exposes physiology students to innovation, entrepreneurship, and business creation while strengthening their professional connections and opening up postgraduation opportunities.

Teachers are crucial to bridging the theory-praxis divide in science education by utilising evidence-based teaching practices to improve outcomes for their learners. However, the perspectives of primary teachers have seldom been considered beyond the confines of specific professional development programs. This paper aims to explore Australian primary teachers' beliefs about how primary science education could be improved. A sample of 165 primary educators responded to an open-ended digital survey prompt. The results showed that teachers viewed themselves and their colleagues as central to the improvement of primary science education as evidenced by the most prominent themes of Professional Development (47.27%), Funding-Resources (37.58%), Classroom Practice (21.82%) and Personal-Teacher Improvement (21.21%). Curiously, university did not feature strongly, suggesting the participants may hold neutral views regarding the impact of universities on primary science education. The findings should serve as a catalyst for future research and engagement with primary teachers. Universities could expand their roles in building relationships with and providing accessible professional development to a group of primary teachers who, quite rightly, view themselves as key to improving primary science education.

Research excellence is one of the key missions of universities and an important engine for socio-economic development. However, the outbreak of COVID-19 has affected academic research in many ways. This study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the research performance of science and engineering faculty members in China's top research universities. It is found that the pandemic caused a decline in the numbers and quality of published articles, and the effects persisted over time. The negative effect of the pandemic on research excellence was more pronounced in the older faculty groups and departments of science. In addition, the pandemic has harmed international research collaborations among academics, which is likely to obstruct research excellence in the long run. In the end, this paper proposes several policy recommendations to reinvigorate universities' capacity for research innovation in the post-pandemic era.